Elevator



Au. 3, 1946. c. E. ELLIS ELEVATOR Filed Aug. 29, 1944 5 sheets-sheet' 1 Aug. 13, 1946.

.(3. E. ELLIS` ELEVATOR Filed mig. '29, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheei'l 2 .Hump

INVENTOR- Char/@555m C. E. ELLIS Aug. 13, 1946.

ELEVATOR Filed Aug. 29. 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5,

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 c. E. ELLIS ELEVATOR Filed Aug. 29, 1944 iNVENTAOR. Char/es TE/[z5 BY {mj- M ATTORNEYS Aug. 13, 1946. jc. ELLIS www@ ELEVATOR .Filed Aug'. 29, 1944 I 5 sheets-sheet 5 mlvEN-roRl Char/65E. E//is MMfw ATTORN EY' Patented Aug. 13 1946 ELEVATOR Charles E. Ellis, Mahwah, N. J., assigner to Sedgwick Machine Works, Inc., Poughkeepsie, N. Y., a corporation of- New `York Application August 29, 1944, Serial No. 551,665

7 Claims.

This invention relates to elevators generally, that is, in the sense of including hoists'of variequipment, reduce the cost, and reduce the space required in certain respects.

Other desirable objects attained by the invention will become apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

` Fig. l of the drawings is a largely diagrammatic plan view showing at an upperV landing a platform elevator embodying the invention. Parts are broken away and in section, to show portions at lower levels.

Fig. 2 is a largely diagrammatic vertical section, taken in general on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a largely diagrammatic Vertical vsec,- tion taken in general on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section, largely diagrammatic, taken in general on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a partly diagrammatic fragmentary elevation of one end portion of the counterbalancing carriage, on a larger scale.

Fig. 6 is a partly diagrammatic fragmentary vertical section taken in general on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. l Fig. 7 is a perspective schematic diagram illustrating operating arrangements and principles of the mechanism.

The elevator shown is of the platform type such as for handling motor vehicles, aircraft and the like, embodying a car I9, operating on suitable guides, in a hatchway I I, between upper and lower landings, such as a flight deck I2, and

a hangar or storage deck I3.

' The car is operated and counterbalanced by connecting it with a counterweight which is driven by a reversible electric motor constituting an actual part of the counterweight. This will be understood best from Fig. 7, to which reference Will now be had. Y

The platform I is suspended by cables or link chains I4, I5, IB, I1, connected at 52, I, 53 and 54, respectively, with the car I9, and connected at 56, 56 with opposite ends of a counterweight beam I 8.

On the way from car I9 to counterweight beam i8, link chain Ill passes over sprocketl and then over sprocket 43, while link chain I5v passes over sprocket 41 and then over sprocket 44. Similarly, link chain I'I passes over sprocket 49 and then over sprocket 45, while link chain I6 passes over sprocket 50 and then over sprocket 45.

The beam carries an electric motor I9, constituting part of the counterweight load and connected to effect positive drive of the counterweight. Motor I9, through reduction gearing at 29, drives sprocket 2l and endlesslink chain 23', the chain passing over an idler sprocket 22 which is rotatably mounted on the casing of gearing' 29. Mounted on stationary axes are upper and lowerl sprockets 2:3 and 25 over which chain 23 passes. Sprocket 25 is driven by chain 23, and in turn drives shaft 25 which is mounted in stationary journals.

From sprockets 2l .on shaft 29, motion is imparted by an endless link chain 39 to a sprocket 32 which is mountedron a stationary axis. Co-f axial with and driven by sprocket 32 is lower sprocket 34 of vertical endless link chain 39 which passes over upper sprocket 38 that is mounted on a stationary axis. Similarly, from sprocket 28 on shaft 26 motion is imparted by an endless link chain 29 to a sprocket 3| which is mounted on a stationary axis. Coaxial with and driven Aby `sprocket 3| is lower sprocket 33 of a vertical endless link chain lwhich passes over upper sprocket 3'I that is mounted on a stationary axis.

Vertical chains 35 and 36 are connected (at one point each) to beam IB by hitches 39 'and 40, respectively. These hitches project from shuttles 4I and 42, respectively, which are movable lengthwise 0f beam` I8 to permit the hitches .to pass around the upper and lower sprockets of chains 35 and 36. The shuttles are confined by upper and lower tracks or guides on beam I8, so that up and down forces are transmitted from chains 35 and 33, through the hitches and shuttles to counterweight beam I8. The hitches and similar shuttles are disclosed in more detail in my Patent 2,377,483, issued June 5, 1945.

When sprocket 2I is driven counterclockwise, this sprocket climbs down chain 23 and at the same time chain 23 is advanced clockwise over sprockets 22, 24 and 25. The rotation of sprocket 25 is imparted, Via chains 29 and 30, to vertical chainsr35 and 36 to advance them clockwise and reference characters have been applied so far- The counterweight beam I8 is as applicable.

vertically guided in a shaftway 55 (Figs. 1 and 2). Instead of using a single chain 23 as shown in Fig. '7, it is preferable to use twochains 23 and 23a, one on each side of beam I3. This is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Driven shaftz'IIl (Figs. 3 and 4) projects from both sides of reduction gear uni-t 28, and on one end it carries the drive sprocket 2| (see also Fig. 7) which actuates chain 23. 3 On the other end, shaft 'I0 carries a duplicate drive sprocket 2Ia (Fig. 4) which actuates an endless link chain 23a which is companion to chain 23 but on the opposite side of gear unit 20. Drive ysprocket 2m does not appear in Fig. 3, being directly behind drive sprocket 2I. Idler 22 (see Figs. "I, 3 and 4) for chain 2'3 is located on one side of gear unit 20. On the Vother side of the gear unit is a corresponding idler sprocket 22a (Figs. 3, 4 and 1) for chain 23a.

, As in Fig. '7, Vchain 23'drives vsprocket 25 (Fig. l) which is mounted on a stationary axle secured to the shaftway structure near the bottom thereof. VMounted on the same axle and secured to sprocket 25 for rotation thereby, is sprocket 21 (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) which drives chain 30 (Figs. 7, land 3). As explained in connection with Figfl, driving motion is imparted from chain 30,

sions 59, 59 which straddle the flange 58; and antiriction rollers such as 5l may engage the rail in any conventional manner.

The means for controlling the elevator and assuring safety of operation are not shown, since these may be of any conventional or suitable design. The motor which powers the counterweight and thus elfects operation of the elevator is, however, indicatedas equipped with an automatic holding brake 60. Other parts normally associated with an elevator motor may =be mounted on the traveling beam. 'Ihe connections through which the motor is controlled may be extended by 'flexible cable or the like from the beam to a control station on the car or elsewhere.

means comprising:r vertical endless link chain Y means adjacent to the beam between the ends through sprockets 32'and 34 (Figs. 7, l `and 3) to with sprocket 25a and driven thereby. As in Fig.

7;.-motion'is imparted from sprocket 2B to chain 29 (Figs. 13 and-'7), sprocket 3I (Figures 1, 3 and .'7) and sprocket 33 to lift chain 35 (Figs. 2, 3and`7).

From the foregoing it will be `seen that Figs. lv through 6 show an arrangement analogous -to that shown in Fig. 7; but the form shown in Figs. 1 through 6 is better adapted for incorporation into a working structure. In both cases, the reversible motor is mounted on the counterweight beam I8, Which'fthe motor drives down and up. This beam is solcross connected to the elevator platform, I0, that the platformis coordinately raised and lowered.. y 'Referring' to Fig. 3, the upper sprocket. 3T of lift chain 35 is mounteduon a stationary partBII of the shaft structure, while the lower sprocket 33 is rnountedfon a stationary part 8| of. the shaft structure. A strut 82 may be inserted to resist the forces imposed4 on parts 80 and 8| by lift chain 35; and the axles for sprockets 33` and 31 may pass through the ends of the strut. A corresponding strut 83 is shown in conjunction with lift chain 3B, to resist the forces imposed by chain 36 on stationary parts 80 and 84.

The elevator platform I0 vand the counterweight beam I8 are guided in their vertical movement by any suitable guide means known-to the elevator art. For example, each end. of the counterwei'ght beam may cooperate; with g the ange 58 (Figs. 5 and 6) of a vertical T-rail. The

thereof, a pair of vertical link chains one adjacent to each end of the beam, a motor mounted on the beam, drive means operatively connecting the motor to said link chain means, driving connections from said link chain means to the chains of said pair of chains, and driving connections from the chains of said pair of chains to the beam, whereby verticalmovernent is imparted to the beam in response to operation of the motor. p 2. `In an elevator having a car and a counterweight 'beam operatively connected to the car, means for power driving the counterweight beam to V.thereby move the c ar, said power-driving means comprising: a rst vertical endless link chainpositionedadjacent to the beam between the ends thereof, a pail` of vertical endless link chains one adjacent to each end 'of the beam, a motor mounted on the beam, a driving connection from Vthe motor to said rst chain, driving connections `fromsaid rst chain to the chains of said pair of chains, and driving connections from the Y,chains of said pairof chains to the beam, whereby vertical movement vis imparted to the beam in response to operation of the motor. 3. In an elevator having a car and a horizontally"disposed counterweight beam. operatively connected to the car, means for power driving the counterweight beam to thereby move the car, said power-driving means comprising: a rst pair of vertical endless link chains positioned' adjacent tothe beam between the ends thereof, one chainof said pair lbeing on one side of the beam and the other chain of said pair lbeing on the opposite sider of the beam, a second pair of vertical endless link chains one adjacent to each end of the beam 'and one on each side of the beam, amotor mounted on theV beam, driving connections from the motor to the chains of the first pair, driving connections from the chains of thefirstpair tothe respective chains of the second pair, and driving connections from the chains of the second pair to the beam, whereby vertical v,movement is imparted to the beam in response to operation of theI motor. A

4. An elevatorcomprising: a vertically movable carriage, a rst'pair of. vertical endless link chains positioned on opposite sides of the carriage, a second pair of vertical endless link chains positioned adjacent to the carriage in spaced relation, a motor mounted on the carriage, driving connections from the motor to the chains of the rst pair, driving connections from the chains of the first pair to the respective chains of the second pair, and driving connections from the chains of the second pair to the carriage, whereby the beam is moved vertically in response to operation of the motor.

5. In an elevator having a car and a counterweight operatively connected to the car, means for power driving the counterweight to thereby move the car, said power-driving means comprising: iirst and second vertical endless link chain means adjacent to the counterweight, a motor mounted on the counterweight, drive means operatively connecting the motor to the first vertical endless link chain means, drive means operatively connecting the first vertical endless link chain means to the second vertical endless link chain means, and drive means operatively connecting the second vertical endless link chain means to the counterweight, whereby vertical movement is imparted to the counterweight in response to operation of the motor.

6. An elevator comprising: a vertically movable carriage, a first vertical endless link chain positioned adjacent to the carriage, a pair of vertical endless link chains positioned adjacent to the carriage in spaced relation, a motor mounted on the carriage, a driving connection from the motor to said irst vertical endless link. chain, driving connections from said first vertical endless link chain to the chains of said pair of vertical endless link chains, and driving connections from the chains of said pair of Vertical endless link chains to the carriage, whereby the carriage is moved vertically in response to operation of the motor.

7. In an elevator having a car and a horizontally disposed counterweight beam operatively connected to the car, means for power driving the counterweight beam to thereby move the car, said power-driving means comprising: a first pair of vertical endless link chains positioned adjacent to the beam between the ends thereof, one chain of said pai;- being on one side of the beam and the other chain of said pair being on the opposite side of the beam, a second pair of vertical endless link chains one adjacent to each end of the beam and one on each side of the beam, a third pair of endless link chains, one chain of the third pair being connected to drive a chain of said second pair of chains in response to the motion of one chain of said first pair of chains, and the other chain of said third pair of chains being connected to drive the other chain of said second pair of chains in response to the motion of the other chain of said rst pair of chains, a motor mounted on the beam, driving CHARLES E. ELLIS. 

